Advertisement

Hang on for a minute...we're trying to find some more stories you might like.

Email This Story

Send email to this addressEnter Your NameAdd a comment hereVerification

In an adult person, the heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood throughout the human body. If we were to extract all of the blood, it would be about eight pints. In order for a blood transfusion to happen, the person has to lose three to four pints of blood. To help those in need, the Red Cross comes to our school to allow students to donate blood, and with each pint donated,three lives can be saved.

The Red Cross has been partnering with Alisal High School to host a Blood Drive at the school for at least ten years. Eric Dixon, an English teacher, who has been involved in the Health Academy is now in charge of organizing and hosting the Blood Drive. “When I first heard that I was going to be responsible for the blood drive I was pretty nervous because I knew it takes a lot of work from watching Ms. Frankel last year. I wanted to make sure I did my part in organizing and preparing the student volunteers and donors have a problem-free day; that’s a lot of responsibility.”

In part of having that responsibility, the Blood Drive has to run smoothly. Runners, who are students in the Health Academy, retrieved the students who signed up to donate blood from their classrooms. From there, the donors were welcomed at the verification table provided by the Health Academy to make sure that everything was in order. Stacy Garcia, a Health Academy student, helped welcome the students. She said, “I felt it was important to be a part of it for the community and for those in need of blood urgently. Every time I help out, I feel like I’m giving back and I’m proud that I can contribute to saving thousands of lives.”

After the first verification table, they were guided to another table provided by the Red Cross to double check the information provided to them. Once the extraction process was complete, the students headed to a snack table where they ate and drank water or juice. Joanna Ramos, a student who decided to donate blood for the second year in a row, said, “I was happy to donate because it’s truly amazing to help and there are people in need of blood everyday. It hurt just a bit when the nurse inserted the needle in my arm, but it was for a good cause.” After donors were done eating and drinking, a runner walked with them back to their respective classroom to make sure they arrived safely to their class.

Marisol Diaz, who donated blood said, “It felt great. It’s good knowing that I can help others.” Patti Childress, the Red Cross Accountant, who has been working for the Blood Drive for about ten years was present at the blood drive. She stated, “The goal is for forty-one pints of blood. Each pint of blood can help three people. So it’s encouraging to see these students helping others by donating blood.”

This year, thirty-nine pints of blood were collected, a close call in meeting the goal of forty-one pints of blood. Out of the fifty-nine donors, thirty-nine were first time donors. The blood donated is usually used for general areas, involving any injury that requires a blood transfusion. Once the blood was donated, it would be sent to the trauma center in Natividad Hospital. The next blood drive will be on February 23, 2018.

Overall, the blood drive was a success according to Dixon. said, “I want to say how amazing the health academy student volunteers were: they were professional, kind, and on task. They deserve the credit for running a very successful blood drive. They make me proud to be a Health Academy Coordinator!”